Turkey confirms first case of coronavirus

By Faruk Zorlu

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey announced its first case of the novel coronavirus early Wednesday while stressing that all precautionary measures were being taken.

"A male citizen tested positive for the coronavirus in the evening," Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said at a press conference in the capital, Ankara.

"The infected individual contracted the virus after returning from Europe. He has been completely isolated," Koca said.

"The patient’s general condition is good. All of his family members and those who came into contact with him are under surveillance," he added.

Turkey last month closed its border with Iran, which has been hard-hit by the virus, and canceled all flights to the country.

The global death toll from the coronavirus is more than 4,000 with more than 113,000 confirmed cases in 110 countries, according to the World Health Organization.